Week 7: Assembly

Week 7 marked the shift from production to post-production. The reality set in of editing, refining, and discovering what we actually captured versus what we thought we captured.

Reviewing the Footage: Managing Expectations

The team gathered to review our shoot day footage with a mix of excitement and pragmatism. We got less usable material than we'd hoped for especially with our troubleshooting on stage, but that was expected. The XR stage is unforgiving: technical limitations, time constraints, the unpredictability of merging live performance with virtual environments. What mattered was that the footage we did get was solid, and now it was about being smart and surgical with what we had.

Building the First Assembly

Sunday became our editing marathon. We started replacing pre-vis placeholders with actual stage footage, dropping in the real shots, seeing how they played against each other, getting a sense of rhythm and pacing. This wasn't so much about creating the final edit; it was about building a roadmap upon which the team could iterate in the coming weeks.

One significant advantage of being the real-time rendering team: our shot list remains fluid until the last minute. If we need an additional CG insert, a different angle on the hero product, a transition element we didn't anticipate - we can render it. That flexibility is going to be crucial as we refine.

The Challenges Ahead

Two major issues emerged from our first assembly. First, "Like Jennie" was threatening to overpower the visuals rather than complement them. Finding the balance between letting the track drive momentum and ensuring our visuals could breathe would require careful attention.

Second: timing. The mentors had been clear: lean into K-pop editing language. Dynamic cuts, quick transitions, punchy rhythms. Our initial assembly was playing it too safe, letting shots breathe when they should have been snapping. Each cut needed to feel intentional and urgent, matching the quick-fire visual style we'd been referencing all along.

Week 7 gave us clarity and a working assembly. It was rough and imperfect, but tangible. Something we could iterate on and refine as we moved into the final polish of Weeks 8 and 9.